RedLine Engine Knock

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kempo780

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Help! I switched over to Red Line 5w30 in my 2017 Ram 1500 Hemi with a royal purple filter about 5k miles ago. Truck has 27k miles on it. Since it is starting to get cold here the last few weeks I have been getting a horrible load knock upon cold start up and it quiets down after about 3 seconds but you can still hear it a little bit until the engine is fully warm.

Do you think this can be from the oil? I never had this issue when I was running Mobile 1. Do you think I should go to 5w20 because of the cold weather? The knock has been bad at about 20 degrees.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

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Arth

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Help! I switched over to Red Line 5w30 in my 2017 Ram 1500 Hemi with a royal purple filter about 5k miles ago. Truck has 27k miles on it. Since it is starting to get cold here the last few weeks I have been getting a horrible load knock upon cold start up and it quiets down after about 3 seconds but you can still hear it a little bit until the engine is fully warm.

Do you think this can be from the oil? I never had this issue when I was running Mobile 1. Do you think I should go to 5w20 because of the cold weather? The knock has been bad at about 20 degrees.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

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You know my 2014 loved redline 5w-30 but my 2019 might not. I recently did the same thing and I think I am hearing a little noise. I'm going to wait until my next oil change because I am wondering if it's my filter.
 

pacofortacos

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I couldn't run 5-30 in my 2016 - it would give a funny buck/knock on startup, felt like it was during the cam sweep stage. 5-20 fixed it. I now run 5 qts 5w-20 and 2 qts 0w30 with no problem.
 

512RAM

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As stated above, during cold seasons, try 5w20
 

ScrubsR1

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Help! I switched over to Red Line 5w30 in my 2017 Ram 1500 Hemi with a royal purple filter about 5k miles ago. Truck has 27k miles on it. Since it is starting to get cold here the last few weeks I have been getting a horrible load knock upon cold start up and it quiets down after about 3 seconds but you can still hear it a little bit until the engine is fully warm.

Do you think this can be from the oil? I never had this issue when I was running Mobile 1. Do you think I should go to 5w20 because of the cold weather? The knock has been bad at about 20 degrees.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Sent using Tapatalk

I ran into this exact problem with my last oil change...my '17 with the 6.4 has always been fed pup 0w40, but I started notice a cold start knock approx 1000 miles ago. After reading the success stories on here of those that switched to Redline to quiet their hemis, I followed suit. I'm currently at around 800 miles using Redline 5w40 and the knock is LOUDER than ever. I expressed my concerns in the oil thread and was told to give it more time. I can't contribute the louder knock to colder temps because my truck is always garaged, with temps never dipping below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. My truck only has a little over 36,000 miles, really disappointed in the hemi to say the least...
 

MarineBSP

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Hi Kempo780,

Depending on whether noise was from upper engine or not, I would run an experiment and change just the filter. You can do this and lose only about a quart (depending on filter size). If the noise does not repeat, it's a filter issue and not the oil. My OE from-the-factory filter seemed to have a leaky ant-drainback valve, and at about 3500 miles it gave me some clatter on one startup after sitting for a few weeks (but temps above freezing).

The last three oil changes I have used Fram XG2 filters because they specifically state 'silicone anti-drain back valve' and the high end Fram actually seems well constructed. This is the larger size filter as used before electric power steering, but it fits. since the switch I have not had a repeat of the clatter on start even at zero F or below.

If it is the filter, contact the RP folks for feedback. Even the best manufacturers have to constantly troubleshoot, and I suspect they'd want to know for improvement and to replace it for you.
 

crackerjack1957

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Probably internal lifter leak down.......check valve in filter will not cure that.
 

Ribtipram

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Funny thing is i had a tap not right a start up but when idle came down a bit it always went away at full warm up. I switched to redline from mobil1 to see if it would make a difference. Seemed like it was just as bad or louder. So i was going to get a video of it to post. Now it won't tap its been 5 days in cold weather and sounds fine. Idk maybe i scared it away. If it was the redline that made it go away it took about 1000 miles. I'll keep listening but for now its quiet. Dam hemi. Its a 6.4 by the way. 49000 miles
 

Burla

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Thicker 30 weight fluid will flow slower at startup then 5w20 fluid. Mind you the limits of this graph are 32f, so the difference is even more in your weather, and then again even more if it gets colder. If you so choose redline mixes with any oil, so if you felt like draining off 4 quarts and adding back cheaper sale oil, you will see if the thinner oil is what you need. 5w20 and 5w30 the two bottom lines, it may not look like it but if you look at visc closely the difference is significant.


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kempo780

kempo780

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Thicker 30 weight fluid will flow slower at startup then 5w20 fluid. Mind you the limits of this graph are 32f, so the difference is even more in your weather, and then again even more if it gets colder. If you so choose redline mixes with any oil, so if you felt like draining off 4 quarts and adding back cheaper sale oil, you will see if the thinner oil is what you need.


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Hey Bula thanks for the info. Im about ready for an oil change. Do you think I should try running redline 5w20 since I live in NY and the cold is coming.

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Burla

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I totally believe in 5w20, it was 5w20 that killed my tick. However, if you believe this is because of thick oil at startup, a real possibility btw, I would consider 0w20. Now, that specific weight of oil is what oil guys call best effort grade, so you don't need redline per say, most 0w20 mix pao for stay in grade performance and cold start performance. m1 is an excellent choice as an option. So my question is why reldine 5w30, did you have hemi tick? If you had hemi tick when warm, yes I would go redline 5w20, that oil killed the first tick on the forum.
 

Burla

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This is the second time this happened this year, I'm not sure we got a follow up with second guy, he had hemi tick prior is why he went to redline, and it helped, but now he has this. I'm puzzled by the temps this is happening at, at 20f imo this shouldn't be happening but it is happening.
 
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kempo780

kempo780

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I totally believe in 5w20, it was 5w20 that killed my tick. However, if you believe this is because of thick oil at startup, a real possibility btw, I would consider 0w20. Now, that specific weight of oil is what oil guys call best effort grade, so you don't need redline per say, most 0w20 mix pao for stay in grade performance and cold start performance. m1 is an excellent choice as an option. So my question is why reldine 5w30, did you have hemi tick? If you had hemi tick when warm, yes I would go redline 5w20, that oil killed the first tick on the forum.
Yes I had a slight tick while the truck warmed up even during the summer when I was running Mobile 1 5w20...that is why over this past summer I switched to redline 5w30 with the purple filter. It helped a little but now that it is cold out it is very load ticking on cold start for 5 seconds then settles down and is very faint when warm (but still there). I will try the redline 5w20 next. I probably can't change my oil until next week. Will this bad tick hurt my engine until I fix it?

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Ribtipram

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Im gonna just keep running the redline and rp filter. The truck was always quite at full warm up and after. Maybe red did its magic for me. We will see. I am under warranty for the next 60k or 4yrs so if she goes she goes. Truck always runs great im super happy with it.
 

Burla

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Yes I had a slight tick while the truck warmed up even during the summer when I was running Mobile 1 5w20...that is why over this past summer I switched to redline 5w30 with the purple filter. It helped a little but now that it is cold out it is very load ticking on cold start for 5 seconds then settles down and is very faint when warm (but still there). I will try the redline 5w20 next. I probably can't change my oil until next week. Will this bad tick hurt my engine until I fix it?

I'm not sure if anyone can say it will or wont hurt engine, it would be a guess. I hope that works out for ya, my truck was whisper quiet on redline 5w20, I moved to redline 5w30 only after many guys on the board did. Now, I do see the huge benefit of 5w30 redline and it's hths protection, but I'm not in snow state. Many guys in snow states are running 5w30 without this thing, it may be that even 5w20 does this, dunno man. I hope you follow up with syn thread after you try 5w20 and let us know, remind us what happened and IF fix worked. Hemi's can be the finickiest engine around for lubrication.

5w20 redline operating temperature is 9.1, 0w20 redline operating temp is 9.1, why are you going with 5w20? People get "afraid" when they see 0w20 and they think it is thinner, it isn't, but it will be thinner at cold temps not warm, which is what you want? 0w20 will be substantially thinner for that cold start and when the engine is warm have the same exact viscosity. In most brands 0w20 is a better all around choice the 5w20 and carries a higher price tag. Oil guys are in love with the 0 winter rated oils, the manu's specs have forced oil companies to use better quality base oils in this oil. 0 winter rated oils were made for you guys in the cold, don't be afraid of them, especially if there is an issue.
 

68PowerWagon

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I couldn't run 5-30 in my 2016 - it would give a funny buck/knock on startup, felt like it was during the cam sweep stage. 5-20 fixed it. I now run 5 qts 5w-20 and 2 qts 0w30 with no problem.

Wow! I didn't realize the 5.7 took 7 quarts like the 6.4. I thought you guys were 6 quarts. If your lucky, you learn something new every day.
 

16RamHemi

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i was about to post my cold start this am. i posted about this exact issue in the syn oil thread. last winter i switched over to redline 5w30 and had no issues, down to 15 below. now this winter im having loud start up chatter. never this loud before. i changed the oil 1000 or so miles ago with a good uoa. same redline 5w30 and rp 20820 as before. i was thinking cold combined with redlines plateability. not sure what i want to do. dont really want to go to all 5w20. maybe half and half. mine is a 2014 with 78k miles.

start up this morning 21 degrees out
 

Burla

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@Burla are you saying you would run 0w30 over 5w20 for the winter?

No, I said that as a compromise because you didn't want to run 20 weight. We seam to be choosing our oil based on what we hear, me included, and some oils make the hemi sound better. If I had a loud knock at start up I would at least try 0w20 first, assuming the cause of thickness, some knocks need moly to sound better. Because these two knocks showed up when it got cold, this is the strategy we are considering, and it does make sense. Because as hemi users and owners oil strategies are all we really got for these ******** FCA tolerances. You could even attempt to fix this mechanically and have the same issue when you are done, it's just our reality. So I would try and solve it with lubrication and give it the best chance first, and if cold is the issue then 0w20 is the best chance at being the thinnest at startup and have same operating visc as 5w20. Now, when I say thinner at start up mind you we are talking about potential viscosities in the 100's if not 1,000's, so it's not thin by any means, just made for cold temps.

Additionally, we have had knocks, like mine severe, but 5w20 ended the knocking, and 5w30 also has had no knocking. But some trucks 5w20 didn't stop knocking, it took 5w30. Here's the thing, you don't know where your truck falls unless you try 0w20. If 0w20 keeps cold knock away, and also keeps hemi tick away as in warm idle knock, then clearly that would be the way to go imo. Mind you if our strategy is not working, we have to adjust. I'm spoiled it was 80f two days ago and 77f yesterday. So I don't know how my truck would be reacting in the cold, just that any oil is thicker in the cold.

My opinion, if there isn't an oil that can keep both away, cold idle knock and warm idle knock, clearly the choice would be whatever works against warm idle knock, as that is a disaster. Bottom line, time for you guys to experiment, I wouldn't be afraid of trying twenty weight oil if it can kill both warm and cold ticks. There is no guarantees, but this is best guess stuff. 0w20 will let you know if this can be solved with oil, there is no thinner at cold temps, again it isn't thinner oil at operating temps, just thinner at start up.
 
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